Furniture cover

ABSTRACT

A furniture cover is provided that has a substantially t-shaped, substantially continuous, fabric body having a generally elongated central trunk portion, and two outwardly extending arm portions. The central trunk portion is sized to extend over and substantially across the back, seat and front of a seating device. The arm portions are sized to extend over and substantially across the arms of the seating device. The fabric body has a first layer of comfort fabric for exposure to the user; and a second layer of waterproof fabric, seamed around a perimeter edge to the first layer, so that the second layer provides a waterproof barrier across the covered portions of the seating device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to furniture covers for seating devices, and moreparticularly, relates to waterproof furniture covers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In order to protect upholstered furniture surfaces, there are severalalternatives. Stain-resistant upholstery fabrics are available, butthese do not provide a fully waterproof barrier. Fluid exposure, such asfrom spills or incontinence (human or pet), can permanently damagefurniture, if the fluid seeps into the foam layer of the furniture.

Slipcovers for furniture have been around for many years. Slipcoversprovide a useful alternative to reupholstering furniture, and serve toprotect the furniture surface from day to day wear (in addition toallowing the user to change the appearance of furniture items). However,they are not always easy to put on or take off. Also, slipcovers arefrequently provided in very specific sizes that are not easilyrepurposed for another piece of furniture.

Simple throws can be used to drape over furniture as a temporaryprotection. Such throws may be washable and provide a certain amount ofabsorbency. However, they are not generally waterproof, and theconfiguration of a blanket is not ideally suited to covering the contactsurfaces of the furniture, and staying in place without wadding orshifting through use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A furniture cover is provided that has a substantially t-shaped,substantially continuous, fabric body having a generally elongatedcentral trunk portion, and two outwardly extending arm portions. Thecentral trunk portion is sized to extend over and substantially acrossthe back, seat and front of a seating device. The arm portions are sizedto extend over and substantially across the arms of the seating device.The fabric body has a first layer of comfort fabric for exposure to theuser; and a second layer of waterproof fabric, seamed around a perimeteredge to the first layer, so that the second layer provides a waterproofbarrier across the covered portions of the seating device.

The fabric body may also include a third layer of non-skid fabric,seamed around a perimeter edge to both the first and second layers, toprevent the cover from slipping off a seating device in use (the secondlayer is sandwiched between the first layer and the third layer).

Many material choices are possible. The first layer may for example be aquilted fabric. It may be an upholstery fabric. It may be astain-resistant fabric. Preferably, the layers of the fabric body areselected to be washable.

Preferably, the fabric body is continuous between the trunk portion andthe arm portions, having no seams between the trunk portion and the armportions. Preferably, the sections of the central trunk portion and armportions exposed to the user have no seams. Preferably, there is no seambetween the back and the seat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front view of the furniture cover.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the furniture cover.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the furniture cover in use on a sofa.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the furniture cover in use on a chair.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the furniture cover outline to show perimetersegments and stitching.

FIG. 6A is sectional view of a two-layer embodiment of the furniturecover.

FIG. 6B is a sectional view of a three-layer embodiment of the furniturecover.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the furniture cover in use on a seating device,showing possible fluid path along the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The furniture cover 100 has a generally t-shaped (or cross-shaped) body.As shown in FIG. 1, a central trunk portion (made up of sub-portions150, 110 and 140) has outwardly extending arm portions 130A, 130B. Thecover 100 is a continuous unit. The trunk and arm portions arepreferably not seamed together but integral.

The central trunk portion is made up of portion 110, portion 150, andportion 140. The functional purpose of each of these portions is bestseen in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein the cover 100 is shown draped on a sofa Aand chair B, respectively. Portion 140 is the relatively longest portionof the cover 100. From the seat surface, portion 140 extends up and overthe back of the sofa/chair to terminate at a point behind the sofa/chairback. The exact reach is immaterial since the point of the cover is notto encase or “slipcover” the furniture item, but simply to protect thecontact surfaces (in contact with the user as s/he sits or lies on thesofa/chair).

Portion 190 extends across the seat of the seating device where the usersits (i.e. under the user's seat).

Portion 150 extends from portion 190 and hangs down at least a portionof the front edge of the sofa/chair (notionally under/behind the user'slegs when the user is in a seated position). Portion 150 need notprecisely cover the entire front surface of the sofa/chair so long asthe contact areas are covered.

Arm portions 130A, 130B extend out from portion 190 to drape up and overthe arms of the sofa/chair. On an armless sofa/chair, these portions maysimply hang down the sides of the sofa/chair to provide another covered(lower) surface (not shown).

The perimeter of the cover is made up of a number of segments as shownin FIG. 5:

-   -   segments 200L, 200A, and 200B bound portion 140 of the cover        (which extends up a front face of the back of the seating device        and at least partway down a rear face of the back of the seating        device);    -   segments 200C, 200D, and 200E bound portion 130A of the cover        (which extends across a first arm of the seating device);    -   segments 200F, 200G, and 200H bound portion 150 of the cover        (which extends down the front of the seating device); and    -   segments 200K, 200J, and 200I bound portion 130B of the cover        (which extends across a second arm of the seating device).

The joints 170, 160A-B, 180 between the portions 110, 130A-B, 140 and150 of the cover 100 are delineated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, simply forease of reference and to illustrate exemplary fold lines. However, thesejoints are notional only. No seam or other physical joint occurs atthese locations on an actual cover.

The cover 100 has a layered construction. The top layer (first layer) isa comfort fabric (e.g. polyester, cotton, microfiber, Tencel™, rayon, orblends or weaves of the above). It may be an upholstery-type fabric. Itmay be a quilted fabric. It may be inherently stain-resistant or treatedwith a stain-resisting treatment. The fabric may be breathable andporous. The under layer (second layer) is a waterproof textile, such asTPU (i.e. thermoplastic polyurethane), or PVC (polyvinyl chloride), orPE (polyethylene). TPU is a presently preferred textile for this purposesince it breathes. Importantly, the first and second layers arepreferably seamed together only at or near their perimeter edges. Thewaterproof layer is not quilted to the top layer. This is to ensure acontinuous waterproof barrier across the contact surfaces of thefurniture item. Preferably the layers of the cover are all machinewashable/dryable to keep the cover clean and hygienic for maximumuser-friendliness.

Optionally, a third layer 320 may be provided behind (under) the secondlayer. This layer may be a further layer of comfort fabric (making thecover reversible), or it may be a non-skid textile to provide addedfrictional resistance when in position on the furniture item. This is toresist the user accidentally pulling the cover down in use, or the userslipping (together with the cover) off the furniture item. This latterhazard may be a particular concern for older or reduced mobility userswho may tend to “scoot” forward to get up and out of sitting position.Various types of non-skid materials may be used. For use on furnitureitems with fabric upholstery, the non-skid material may be for example anon-woven fabric (whose rough texture frictionally resists slippingagainst the texture of the upholstery fabric). For smoother surfaces,such as leather furniture, it may be preferred to use a textile havingHotDots™ or similar rubbery texturing. The non-skid may be provided overthe entire surface 120 or only certain zones or localized spots.

The perimeter edges of the cover may be finished with trim. The trimpieces (shown notionally in two side portions 340A, 340B) may extendacross the top and bottom surfaces of the layered sandwich of the coverand be seamed together. It will be appreciated that the notional seamportions 330A and 330B may in fact be one continuous seam 330, extendingaround all of the perimeter segments 200A-200L, as shown in FIG. 5.Preferably, the seam is approximately 5-10 mm from the perimeter edge200 of the cover 100.

Suitable width and length (height) dimensions for the cover will varydepending on the approximate scale of the furniture item to be covered(e.g. wingback, armchair, recliner, loveseat, sofa). For example, anarmchair cover may fit armchairs up to approximately 110 cm in width,while a loveseat cover may fit loveseats up to approximately 190 cm inwidth, and a sofa cover may fit sofas up to approximately 225 cm inwidth, etc. Length and height may also be a factor. A recliner cover mayfit recliners up to 105 cm tall. The overall thickness of the cover ispreferably in the range of about 3 mm to over 1 cm (depending on thenumber of individual layers and their thicknesses). The thickness mayalso be somewhat variable across the article (e.g. covers with quiltedtop layers will generally have variable thickness due to the quilting).

It will be appreciated that these dimensions are illustrative only andnot essential. It is an advantage of the cover that sizing is veryflexible, since the cover does not attach to or surround the furnitureitem at any point. Further, there is generally no need to provideprecise fit so long as the areas of intended contact are covered (e.g. asofa size cover can be draped over a chair, a chair size cover can bedraped over a sofa, etc.). (This flexibility in sizing also makespurchasing easier for customers who may not have accurate measurementsof their furniture at hand, and for retailers who can stock only a fewstandard sizes).

In use, the cover 100 simply drapes over the furniture item. When aspill or accident occurs, the continuous waterproof barrier of layer 310prevents the fluid from penetrating to the furniture item itself. Thefluid is simply absorbed into the top layer 300 or is wicked away fromthe surface to run between the first and second layers (as shown in FIG.7). Fluid entry at creases or corners in the furniture is also not aproblem since the lines 180, 170, 160A, 160B of the cover are notseamed. There is no stitch line at these junctures for fluid topenetrate.

The cover 100 protects the contact surfaces of the furniture item. Thecover itself also has areas that can be notionally thought of as contactareas. Generally, the contact areas include portions 190, 150; at leastthe front-facing portion of portion 140 (i.e. the part facing the useras opposed to the part hanging down the back of the furniture item); andat least the inward-facing portions of arm portions 130A, 130B (i.e. theparts facing the user not the parts hanging down the opposite (outside)ends of the sofa/chair arms). The configuration and extent of these“contact areas” may depend on the size and configuration of thefurniture item. For example, on a taller-back item, the area of theportion 140 that faces the user will be much greater than on ashorter-back item. The non-contact areas of the cover 100 may includecross-seams (e.g. to join fabric pieces) and may in fact benon-waterproof in these areas, although this is less preferred.

The foregoing description illustrates only certain preferred embodimentsof the invention. The invention is not limited to the foregoingexamples. That is, persons skilled in the art will appreciate andunderstand that modifications and variations are, or will be, possibleto utilize and carry out the teachings of the invention describedherein. Accordingly, all suitable modifications, variations andequivalents are intended to fall within the scope of the invention asdescribed and within the scope of the claims. A broad purposiveconstruction of the claim elements is intended. Although specificexamples of waterproof, non-waterproof and non-skid materials areprovided in the foregoing description, it is not intended to limit theconstruction to those specific materials but any materials having thosegeneral properties should be considered to be encompassed. It will alsobe appreciated that the “seams” may not necessarily be stitched throughwith thread in the classical sense but may also include other means ofjoining the fabric layers (eg. fusing or adhering).

What is claimed is:
 1. A furniture cover for a seating device having: a back, which has a front face and a rear face, a seat, a front, and a pair of arms, the seating device being adapted for a human user to sit or lie on the seating device, such that portions of the seating device are contacted by the user, and such that in a seated position, lower legs of the user contact the front of the seating device, upper legs of the user contact the seat of the seating device, and the back of the user contacts the front face of the back of the seating device, such portions of the seating device being contact portions, the covering comprising: a substantially t-shaped, substantially continuous, fabric body having a generally elongated central trunk portion, and two outwardly extending opposed arm portions at a point along the central trunk portion such that the fabric body forms a t-shape or cross; the central trunk portion being sized to extend over and substantially across the back, seat and front of the seating device; the arm portions each being sized to extend over and substantially across one of the arms of the seating device; the fabric body having a first layer of comfort fabric; and a second layer of waterproof fabric, seamed around a perimeter edge to the first layer, the second layer providing a waterproof barrier across the contact portions and the arms of the seating device.
 2. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the fabric body further comprises a third layer of non-skid fabric, seamed around a perimeter edge to both the first and second layers, to prevent the cover from slipping off the seating device in use; the second layer being sandwiched between the first layer and the third layer.
 3. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the first layer is a quilted fabric.
 4. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the first layer is of an upholstery fabric.
 5. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the first layer is a stain-resistant fabric.
 6. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the layers of the fabric body are selected to be washable.
 7. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the fabric body is continuous between the central trunk portion and the arm portions, having no seams between the central trunk portion and the arm portions. 